After arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), a man made quite a surprising discovery: a monkey was sitting on top of his car. Geoffrey, a 26-year-old Reddit user known as u/disgruntledmarmoset, shared his amusing encounter on the subreddit “animalid,” racking up over 5,800 upvotes.
On October 14, having just flown in from New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Spirit Airlines, Geoffrey expected a typical trip home. Instead, he was greeted by an unexpected primate visitor!
In his Reddit post, he recounted how he tried to coax the monkey away. “That’s when I took the picture. I hit the lock button to see if the sound would make him run, but it didn’t,” he wrote. The cheeky monkey, perched over the driver’s side passenger door, seemed completely unfazed. Not wanting to let the monkey linger, Geoffrey opened and then slammed the door, successfully startling the little guy. “He scurried down over my windshield and hood and ran away, and that was it,” he shared.
Florida’s Monkey Population
Geoffrey’s encounter brings to light an intriguing aspect of Florida’s wildlife: the state is home to several colonies of non-native monkeys, whose population has surged in recent years. The particular species in question, identified as the Green Vervet monkey, has been thriving in areas like Fort Lauderdale for decades.
This colony has roots dating back over 80 years, stemming from monkeys that escaped a local chimp farm in the 1940s, originally established for entertainment and research purposes. Now, the area serves as a sanctuary for them.
Reddit Reacts: ‘Only in Florida’
Geoffrey’s post ignited a spirited discussion on Reddit, with many users sharing their own wild animal encounters. “I thought seeing a coyote once in a while was scary,” one commenter mused. Another user identified the mischievous visitor as a Green Vervet monkey and noted, “They’ve been there for ~80 years.” This revelation left many folks surprised, with a few humorously lamenting, “What the hell, Florida. Every week I learn about a new invasive species that’s been there for decades.”
One local even chimed in with a fun fact: “There’s a large colony of them that hang out at the Fort Lauderdale Airport Park N Fly. They’re fun to go look at!” Ultimately, a user summed it up well: “That’s amazing!! I love that they have people working to protect them. I had no idea there were monkeys in Florida. I’m shocked!”